10.27.2006

Chestnut & Onion Soup


from
Is my blog burning

Broccoli Soup

For Broccoli Haters( yes with a capital H :)) this soup will come as a very pleasant surprise. It is easy to make and has a nutty and deep flavor with none of the nasty texture of the vegetable.

Makes one bowl, Increase proportionately

1 Cup Broccoli Florets
1 pod garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Grated cheese to garnish
Heavy Cream ( optional)

I usually use the frozen broccoli florets i buy at the supermarket for this soup. It is really important in that case to not defrost the florets in the microwave but put them in a heavy saucepan with a pinch of salt on the stovetop at a low temperature. Also keep the saucepan covered. For some reason defrosting the florets in the microwave entirely ruins the texture of the final product and makes it very fibrous instead of smooth.

I cook the florets until just about thawed. It is important to avoid adding water to the saucepan. Make a nice puree with the thawed florets in the blender.

In another sauce pan on the stove i quickly grate the pod of garlic into some olive oil, wait until the olive oil is infused with the garlic , add the puree . Give the whole thing a single boil. Salt and season to taste.

Serve with a garnish of cheese and some garlic bread. Other infusions could be chives or some basil.

10.20.2006

Happy Diwali!!

A very happy diwali to everybody. Here's a typical Diwali bachanam recipe - Chettiar style ribbon from Salem in Tamilnadu , India. Best on diwali or any rainy day. It is different from other ribbon in its smoother almost silky texture and a very slight sweetness which depends on whether your coconut milk is store made or home made.

For newbies, the tall steel thingie is called an acchu - a modern variant of an old device - sort of like a cookie maker with different molds for pressing out different shaped fried objects ! :) Reminds me of the old joke - UFO is an unidentified fried object.

Ingredients are simple,

Rice flour

Coconut milk ( fresh or store bought)

Sesame seeds

Kadla Parappu

Rice Powder and Kadla Parappu should be in the proportion of 3:1 . Grind the kadla parappu into fine powder. Add sesame seeds and salt to season. Red Chilli powder is optional. Knead the flour using as much coconut milk as you require. Heat oil in a deep pan , use the slotted plate in the Acchu to squeeze out the dough into hot oil.

Voila - Deepavali bachanam Ribbon!! Enjoy madi.



10.15.2006

Unusual Cookbooks

I apologize for being MIA. Here is a short ice breaking post on the unusual cookbooks ive run into so far :

Revolting recipes by Roald dahl.
One of my friends brought this unusual book by Roald dahl to my attention. I love all his writing, from Charlie and the chocolate factory to Switcheroo. This cookbook entices children into the kitchen with quirky humor and even quirkier recipe names - Mosquito mudpie being one - if memory serves right.

The other unusual cookbook is based on the popular soap, The sopranos and features recipes from Steak pizzaiola to pasta fagioli.

The last book is from an unusual blog http://foodcompanycookbooks.blogspot.com/ devoted to food company vintage cookbooks and advertising. In the context of India, this is really a concept that has very little weight. Who reads the recipe book that Prestige sends along with their pressure cookers? Does anybody really?